Councilman Walter Polak, Halfmoon's deputy supervisor, worked for 10 years at a company owned by the town's longtime consulting engineers, CHA Companies. Polak's son-in-law is listed as a partner with the firm, which has been the town's consulting engineer for more than 25 years and donated thousands of dollars to campaign funds used by Polak. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union) less

Councilman Walter Polak, Halfmoon's deputy supervisor, worked for 10 years at a company owned by the town's longtime consulting engineers, CHA Companies. Polak's son-in-law is listed as a partner with the firm, ... more

Photo: Lori Van Buren

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Halfmoon GOP vice Chairman John Hickock, at right wearing a gray-hooded sweatshirt, leans in to record statements by deputy town Supervisor Walter Polak in September as Polak fields questions about an FBI investigation of former Supervisor Melinda Wormuth. Hickock is a vice president with CHA Companies, which has been the town's consulting engineer for decades. Hickock, son of state Sen. Kathleen Marchione, was a campaign director for Polak in the recent election. (Michael P. Farrell/Times Union) less

Halfmoon GOP vice Chairman John Hickock, at right wearing a gray-hooded sweatshirt, leans in to record statements by deputy town Supervisor Walter Polak in September as Polak fields questions about an FBI ... more

Photo: Michael P. Farrell

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John Hickock, second from left, records statements by Halfmoon deputy Supervisor Walter F. Polak on Sept. 18 as Polak was questioned by reporters about an FBI probe of town officials. Hickock, who works for the town's consulting engineering firm, is vice chair of the town Republican committee and helped direct Polak's re-election campaign this year.
(Michael P. Farrell/Times Union) less

John Hickock, second from left, records statements by Halfmoon deputy Supervisor Walter F. Polak on Sept. 18 as Polak was questioned by reporters about an FBI probe of town officials. Hickock, who works for the ... more

Photo: Michael P. Farrell

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Councilman Walter Polak, center holding cane, sits next to an engineer for CHA Companies, which has been the town's consulting engineer for decades. Polak, who represents the Town Board at planning board meetings, worked for a CHA company along with his son-in-law, a partner with the firm. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union) less

Councilman Walter Polak, center holding cane, sits next to an engineer for CHA Companies, which has been the town's consulting engineer for decades. Polak, who represents the Town Board at planning board ... more

Photo: Lori Van Buren

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Pays to send cash to power

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Halfmoon

Engineering companies that pour cash into local political funds often remain on government payrolls in those communities for years, even decades, under a practice that favors their largess and does not require public bidding.

For some firms, the consulting contracts can be worth millions of dollars in business. The engineers' campaign contributions, meanwhile, bolster the re-election war chests of elected officials spanning political parties who, in turn, award contracts to those same firms year after year.

A Times Union analysis of political funds in Saratoga County and several other local communities shows campaign donations by many Capital Region engineering firms were usually directed at the campaigns of those in power rather than any particular political party. Some of the biggest winners were Republicans in the southern Saratoga County towns of Halfmoon and Clifton Park.

Between 2007 and 2013, Halfmoon Republicans, who have controlled the town for decades, received $19,225 from the town's designated engineer, CHA Companies of Albany, and a handful of the firm's top employees, records show. During that same span, tax records show the town paid CHA — the region's largest engineering firm — more than $4.1 million for consulting services, most from fees charged to developers who bear the cost of the town's engineering reviews.

CHA, formerly known as Clough Harbour & Associates, has been Halfmoon's consulting engineer for more than 25 years.

Statewide, CHA's political contributions are robust. The firm and its subsidiaries contributed at least $249,707 to political campaigns in the state between 2007 and 2013, while a handful of current and former high-ranking employees gave more than $155,796 between 2008 and 2013, according to records filed with the state Board of Elections.

During the past six years, CHA was paid $891,789 for projects in Clifton Park; $696,733 for work in Waterford; $547,935 in Malta; and $4,045 in Wilton, according to figures provided by the towns under the state Freedom of Information Law.

Bill Mahoney, a research coordinator for the New York Public Interest Research Group, said the donations make a big difference in local elections, in which grass-roots candidates often struggle to garner the money needed to match the financing of candidates supported by the engineers, developers and others who do business in those municipalities.

"A lot tend to have business before government, so they are mostly interested in buying access to the politicians," Mahoney said. "Mailings can be bought for just a couple of thousand dollars — and that can really help increase the candidates' name recognition, and do a lot to get their positions known to voters."

While Democrats in Albany, Colonie and Schenectady have also reaped the benefit of engineers' contributions, Saratoga County's Republicans have benefited from $46,542 in donations given exclusively to their party by five firms during the past six years.

In Clifton Park, the county's largest suburban town, seven engineering firms made a total of $2.95 million on town projects between 2007 and 2011, records show. Some of those companies showered the Clifton Park Republican Committee with cash during that period — $18,966 between 2007 and 2013, according to state filings.

During that same period, CHA, which was appointed as Clifton Park's consulting engineer three decades ago, gave just $1,347 to Clifton Park Republican campaigns between 2007 and 2008, and the company hasn't contributed anything to the town GOP since 2009.

The drop-off began several years ago, when the firm became entangled in a legal dispute with the town over a bicycle path project started in 2001. The company settled with the town in 2011 for $350,000, but also has seen its workload there diminish. In 2007, the firm was paid $361,293 by Clifton Park, but that figure dropped to $82,728 by 2011.

Meanwhile, political donations to Clifton Park Republicans soared for the firm the town hired to replace CHA as its primary engineer.

That firm, MJ Engineering of Clifton Park, has provided the Clifton Park Republican Committee $5,650 since 2011, but had given just $240 the prior four years, according to public filings. Clifton Park also hired four other other engineering firms for jobs since 2007. One of those, CT Male Associates of Latham, gave the town's Republican Committee $5,004 between 2007 and 2013, according to state filings. The firm garnered $289,281 in business in Clifton Park from 2007-2011, town records show.

Despite the pay-to-play appearances, Clifton Park Supervisor Phil Barrett said the town uses engineers suited for specific projects without regard to their political contributions.

"If an engineering firm is not doing the best job possible, or if issues arise with the work, we make that change and have made that change regardless of any other issues," Barrett said.

In Halfmoon, the connections between the town's engineers and political leaders are deeper than consulting work.

Deputy Supervisor Walter F. Polak, a Halfmoon Town Board member for more than 20 years, acknowledged he was hired about 12 years ago as a construction manager for a CHA company, CHA Tech Services, around the time his former employer, Grand Union, filed for bankruptcy. Polak said that "to avoid any appearance of impropriety, during my employment with CHA Tech, I recused myself from any vote involving contracts or payments to Clough Harbour and Associates."

It's unclear if Polak disclosed his conflict with CHA on a regular basis at town meetings, including at public hearings on the town's master plan, which CHA oversaw.

Meanwhile, Polak's public duties have been intertwined with CHA's work. Polak is the Town Board's longtime liaison to the Planning Board, for which he reviews projects alongside a CHA engineer. Polak also has another connection to CHA: His son-in-law, William Lucarelli, is a land surveyor who is listed as CHA's chief operating officer on the company's website. State records indicate Lucarelli, a town resident who worked for CHA for at least 30 years, made $43,733 in statewide political contributions between 2007 and 2013, including $3,250 in donations to Halfmoon Republican campaign funds.

CHA has other political connections in Halfmoon. John Hickock, a CHA vice president, is vice chairman of the town Republican Committee and directed the re-election campaign for Polak and other town GOP incumbents in the November election.

Hickock, 39, did not respond to a request for comment. He is the son of state Sen. Kathleen Marchione, a former Halfmoon town supervisor. A resume Hickock posted on a social networking site states he was hired by CHA at age 18 when his mother was town supervisor and voting to approve the town's hiring of the firm.

Besides corporate donations, CHA's top executives have been generous in their private political contributions locally and as far as Buffalo.

Gary W. Robinson, an engineer who has been a partner with CHA Companies, is a Putnam County resident who has made nearly $30,000 in political donations between 2008 and 2012, records show. That figure includes a $500 donation in 2009 to the Halfmoon Republican Club.

When asked about his private donation to a local campaign so far from his home town, Robinson indicated it was a company matter. "I'm really not authorized to comment on any of this," he said. "I don't even remember that contribution, offhand."

Another CHA partner, John P. Sobiech of Waterford, made at least $46,490 in state and local political contributions since 2007, including $500 to the Halfmoon Republican Club in July 2011, records show. Another CHA engineer, Michael E. Hollowood of Ballston, made $21,625 donations statewide during that period, including $2,750 to Halfmoon Republican political funds.

Larry V. Fairchild, a retired CHA partner from East Greenbush, also made thousands of dollars in political donations when he worked for the firm, including $1,500 to Halfmoon Republicans in 2008 and 2009, records show. "I just have to defer anything on that to (CHA's legal) counsel," Fairchild said. "I think their counsel can probably answer your questions."

Between 2009 and 2011, James D. Ryan, a CHA engineer from Schenectady, gave $500 to the Halfmoon Republican Club, $500 to the Halfmoon Republican Committee and $500 to the campaign fund of former town Supervisor Melinda Wormuth, who resigned last month following her arrest on bribery and extortion charges.

Halfmoon Councilman John Wasielewski said he's questioned whether the town should review its engineering services every other year, adding that he's uncomfortable with the correlation between campaign donations and firms that retain government business.

Halfmoon Supervisor Kevin Tollisen, who was sworn in as supervisor late last month, said he's declined to accept campaign donations from developers who do business with the town, although he does receive campaign support from the town Republican committees.

"I made a very conscious decision that I was not going to accept or solicit, in any way look for money from developers or builders," Tollisen said. "There won't be any favoritism. The people of the town of Halfmoon deserve integrity."

Records on file with the state Board of Elections show Tollisen's campaign account received donations this year from two developers who do business in Halfmoon, Robert Marini and Dean Taylor. Marini is currently seeking to develop a major residential project near Northway Exit 8. Tollisen's campaign also received donations from Ivan Zdrahal Associates, a Clifton Park engineering firm that brings projects before the town.